Hope.
This emotion was what filled the Obliteri's gaze.
Her intense white hair flickered slightly as she urged Atticus to kiss her hand.
'It's not like she's giving me a choice.'
A wry smile appeared on his face. It was an emotion that baffled Atticus to his core. He just couldn't understand it.
Hope?
How? Why?
Why would anyone feel hope just from getting their hand kissed? Yet, this was what he felt.
In fact, her emotions were so intense and obvious that even the others could see it.
Aurora stared at the Obliteri Apex, utterly confused. Even Lirae was at a loss, her brows slightly furrowed as she watched.
'But her hands…'
Atticus shifted his focus once more.
Touching those bare hands would cause his skin to decay. He knew this fact well, as he had learned one of their race's techniques and knew its effects.
But then he looked at her eyes again.
White. Intense. Filled with hope and expectation.
Maera, unlike Lirae, was shorter and could even be considered petite.
She had a cherubic face, her lips a pale shade of white, and hair the color of ashen mist.
Her cold demeanor made her appear unapproachable, yet…
There was no doubt.
She was cute.
And most importantly, Atticus couldn't sense any hint of hostility.
"Kiss."
The Obliteri Apex shifted her hand forward once more, urging Atticus to take it.
Atticus finally sighed inwardly. He decided to take the hand.
A subtle crimson glow surrounded both his arm and lips as he took her hand and planted a gentle kiss on it.
As Atticus straightened and met Maera's gaze, it was like staring into a shimmering white lake.
Her eyes were wide. Focused solely on where Atticus had touched her hand.
Her body subtly trembled.
As Atticus let go, Maera slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. The shimmering in her eyes only grew.
Then, in the next instant, she spoke words that caused the entire hall to freeze.
"I want you."
Atticus froze mid-ascent, his expression morphing into shock.
Did he just hear that correctly?
Somewhere in his head, Ozeorth's voice echoed.
'Ah yes… those were the good times.'
Atticus blinked. 'What the hell are you talking about?'
'You know, the fame, the admiration, and the army of women fighting over me.'
Atticus rolled his eyes. 'Of course, you'd say that.'
He ignored Ozeorth and instead focused on the cute but deadly Obliteri standing before him.
"Were you mistaken?" he asked, still trying to make sense of the situation.
But Maera only repeated herself.
"I want you."
Atticus instinctively glanced over at Lirae.
The Vampyros Apex simply shrugged, then rolled her fingers at the side of her head, mouthing coco.
Even Atticus was tempted to believe he was dealing with a crazy one.
Maera had seen everything. Yet, she didn't care.
They could call her crazy all they wanted, at this point, she appeared to be in her own world.
In her past life, she had also wielded the power of decay. Her goal, from the moment she gained consciousness, had always been the same.
Obliteration.
To return everything to its original state.
Nothingness.
And in her past life… she had achieved this feat.
She had destroyed her world.
She had watched its remnants crumble. She had watched her people die.
And as she stood there, surrounded by the void she had created, she had felt… empty.
Billions of innocents had perished that day. Including her.
Yet, in those final moments, as the last flickers of existence faded, she had watched.
She had seen how people clung to their loved ones.
Some to their partners. Others to their siblings, their families.
But she…
She had stood alone.
She had watched alone.
She had died alone.
Throughout her existence, she had never met anyone who could withstand her decay.
Even when she was reincarnated into the Obliteri race, beings who also wielded the power of erasure, her decay had still exceeded theirs. She couldn't even touch them.
To have someone…
To have someone who could withstand her…
She had longed for this. She had hoped for this.
And then it had happened. On the day of the Nexus.
Maera had watched the battle.
Karn Voss of the Nullite race, who wielded the power of negation, against a mere human boy.
Atticus.
And that boy had resisted the Nullite's negation. Something that was unheard of in the history of Eldoralth.
The powers of negation and obliteration were different, yes. But they followed the same principle.
Karn was an Apex. His negation was at a level far beyond the rest of his race.
Despite this, Atticus had resisted it.
In that moment, Maera had felt something she had never felt before.
Hope.
And now, she had confirmed it. Atticus could withstand her obliteration.
Her eyes gleamed with certainty, and she spoke once more.
"I want you."
The gazes of Zoey and Lirae flickered in unison, both of them darkening slightly.
Who the hell is this bitch?
Atticus, on the other hand, was silent. He truly didn't know what to say or how to act.
He could feel the jealousy in the air.
One source was expected. But the others…? He was lost.
The first came from Zoey. The second… from Lirae. And the rest? From many of the women in the hall.
Then Atticus turned his gaze and saw Aurora, who was trying so hard to stifle her laughter.
The scene became awkward in an instant.
An awkwardness that Lirae tried to break by changing the topic.
"So, do you still have your crush on that mystery—"
Before she could finish, Maera interrupted.
"I want you."
She stepped forward. Like a cute but imposing cat, demanding something absurd.
Lirae sighed dramatically.
"He has someone he likes."
The temperature in the hall dropped. A chill spread through the air.
Maera's ashen hair flowed lightly as she turned to Lirae.
Her white eyes bore into her.
"Who?"
It wasn't a question.
It was a threat.